The Wisconsin Dairy Products Association (WDPA) said its 2019 Dairy Symposium will be held July 15-16, 2019, at The Landmark Resort, Door County, Wis. The Dairy Symposium will offer a comprehensive program focusing on issues impacting all dairy processors.

The Dairy Symposium will begin on Monday, July 15 with a golf outing at The Orchards Golf Club at Egg Harbor. The outing will employ a scramble format to allow golfers of all abilities to have an enjoyable day, WDPA said. A shotgun start will begin at 10:00 a.m., and lunch, drinks and prizes are included in the golf fee.

A gala reception will take place that evening, followed by the Presidents Award dinner banquet. The presentation of the 2019 WDPA Presidents Award will be the highlight of the evening.

The next day will begin with a breakfast and the WDPA annual meeting. The main educational program will then commence. WDPA said the lineup of educational programming is as follows:

The Dairy Task Force 2.0 — Charting a Path to Success

How can processors and producers navigate through these economic minefields and find success? Hear the chairman of the committee and the new secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture discuss their findings from the past year by highlighting the fifty committee recommendations that will chart the dairy industry to future success.              

Speakers include:

• Dr. Mark Stephenson, University of Wisconsin – Madison.
• Brad Pfaff, Secretary, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture.

How E-Commerce is Steamrolling the Traditional Retail Market

E-commerce. Online sales. Today’s consumer retail market is being turned upside down as more and more of the public turns to internet purchasing. This dynamic retail trend will affect your business. Experts will explain the e-commerce trends and consumer attitudes toward e-commerce, as well as share the top e-commerce dairy categories.         

Speakers include:

• Tim Grzebinski, Principal, Client Insights.
• Mary Fair-Taylor, Principal, Market and Shopper Intelligence.

Executive Roundtable on Dairy Markets

A stellar panel of dairy executives will discuss today’s dairy markets. Participants will share their views on how national and global economies are affecting their companies and how they are dealing with current market challenges. A discussion of how these companies are maintaining their competitiveness and how they are positioning themselves for future growth will round out this thought-provoking session. 

Participants include:

• Greg Kurr, CEO, Kemps.
• Marc Healy, vice president, Kerry.
• Joe Zink, senior director, Festival Foods.
• Wouter Stomph, manager, Olam Cocoa.

The 2019 Dairy Symposium will conclude with a lunch and a guest speaker — John McHugh of Kwik Trip.

To register for the 2019 Dairy Symposium, call 608/836-3336 or email info@wdpa.net to obtain a registration brochure. The deadline to secure a room at The Landmark Resort is June 5, 2019. The deadline to register for the Dairy Symposium is June 19, 2019.